Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-07-02
FOUR BOSTON CRANkS.
Yankee Doodle, Tom Ri John and Wife.
and Daniel Pratt, G. A. T.
oil Ion

Yankee Doodle, Tom ri John and Wife.
and Daniel Pratt, G. A. T.
Especial Correspondence.
BOSTON, June a.
For years Boston had quartet OF people
who were known by everybody, newspaper
men especially One of these was Yankee
Doodle" shoemaker by trade, who won ce-
Iebrty through whstling that familiar air in
peculiar way-whstling it eternally, in fact
so that, without exaggeration, the tune
could be heard eight CT ten blocks. yankee
Doodle" was always shabbily and grotesquely
dressed, invariably wearing a dilapidated high
hat, and his coat almost touched the ground.
His face was queer combination of shrewd-
ness and simplicity, much wrinkled, and with
strong features, prominent nose and long gray
beard. His real name was so seldom heard
that it is now only matter of conjecture.
yankee Doodle" was OH the streets almost all
the time with pair of old boots invariably
over one shoulder. It is said he selected this
way of advertising his business as a cobbler
in his old days, keeping up his perambulations
from force of habit. He acquired nearly
S150,000 in money and property by his miserly
habits, but spent much of it in getting
recreant son out of trouble. But the whistle
stopped suddenly one day. The old gentle
man died about year ago.
Tom Ri John and his wife are char
acters that were in their day as familiar
as "Yankee Doodle" Their idiosyncra-
sizes We're more Objectionable than
those of their fellows, inasmuch as they pub
lished a paper, sometimes of a rather OBJ
scene nature, advocating dress reform,
woman suffrage, spilitualism, free love, and
what not. They were recognized only as
cranks by the advocates of these theories and
were finally through differences with the a,l-
thorities, hustled out of town, gravtated to
New York, and when last heard from were
in Washington This couple was always
dressed shabbily, the woman, in mans attire,
selling the papers on the streets. The man let
the woman monopolize most of the frequent
arrests if remember rightly.
~
Tho "Grcat American Traveller" Daniel
Pratt, just deceased, was, however, one of the
most unique and widely known characters
the Hub has ever produced. He was car
penter, but was never known to work at any
trade steadily. He has been known here for
more than fifty years. The name he selected
for himself came from the tales of travels he
claimed to have made. At one time
he disappeared for twelve years and
on return claimed he had been over the
entire United States. After this he made
frequent alleged excursions, but some say he
wcs at his home il Chelsea, ut which place he
was born. About this time he also conceived
the idea that he was the president of the
United States delusion he chung to with
some variations to the end of his days. In
the Garfield campaign he withdrew as can
lidate to keep the Greenbacker from being
elected
Tie newspaper offices We're the choice
tamping grounds for the traveller. Com
nencing with the sanctum of the editors in
| chief he would go through the various depart
ments, usually fetching up in the composing
room. The compositors would usually give
him stool from which to make a speech, in
which he would tell of the various times he
had been president, the cause of resigning,
etc; always winding up with collection.
The Great American Traveller" was of
medium height, with smooth face and sunken
cheeks, dark complexion, and weighed prob
ably lS5 pounds. He always dressed poorly
and seemed to be one of rare sort of lunatic
in that he had the faculty of interesting every
body.
Opinions differ as to Pratt's travels. Some
who knew him well say that almost every
tramp printer could Guido him on the road
were all the facts known. Others say he had
in reality been all over this continent
several times. He died at the city hosp-
tai, and always lived on charity
Among college students he was widely
known. He made tour Of the
New England colleges every year, and claims
to have Travelled 10000 miles, to have been
in ~ states, among 16 tribes of Indians, to
have visited Washington 10 times, and to
have seen five presidents inaugurated. Many
tales have been told which point to him as
the hero i'll youthful love affairs, disappoint-
alent in which led to the singular hallucina-
tions he held, but there seems to be no truth
in their geuuineness. He is the last of a most
peculiar quartet, all as familiar as the streets
themselves in this city.
CLARENCE CHADWICK.
Some Pride Left.